Fruit husking machine



Nov. 7, 1944. J. B. CRAWFORD FRUIT HUSKING MACHINE Filed Sept. 22, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 6 I hwe'ntor'; I

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N 7, 1944. J. B. c'RA-wFoR 2,362 356 FRUIT HUSKING MACHINE 2 SheetS-Sheet 2.

Filed Sept. 22, 1942 l nvento r (gm fmou )M'A/ (Ittomeg Patented Nov. 7, 1944 1 ff j.

- FRUIT HUSKING MACHINE James Bryant CrawfordiMoline, 111., assign or of one-half to,L. 0.. M orford, Fort Ddge,,Iowa

Application September 22, 1942, erial No. 459,271

3 3 Claims; (o1.'2'09+2' My invention has reference to a fruit husking machine, and has more special relationto a mechanical device by means of whichpaper wrap pers on-oranges, apples, and similar fruit can be removed with a great saving of labor and time.

It is a well-known fact that in many large business houses, such as super-markets dealing in food supplies, large quantities of the fruit mentioned, also lemons, grape-fruitand" the like, are contained in thin wrappers, in the-nature of artificial husks,'which it is advisable to haveremoved beforeplacing 'the fruit on sale. This calls for the employment of several extra men or boys, and frequently makes inroads/upon the time of employees who are needed for some other work; By the use of the presentinventio'n, andwith'the assistance of a single workman, a large-quantity of fruit can be expeditiously and efliciently'd'e prived of its wrappings, and-without injury to the":

fruit. A box of fruit of usual shipping proportions can be dumped into the machine at one 'point, with the stripped and almost instantly refilled fruit at another point. 7 I

The used the machine is not'limited to'th'e unwrapping of fruit, however, but it is' found to operate'quite effectually in removing the outer husks' from some kinds of vegetables, such as". onions, which are of a more or less'globular" form. T

The above named, and other features and advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig.1is aplan view of the invention. K

Fig. 2 is a cross-section On the broken line 22' of Fig. 1;

. Fig. 3 is an end view looking from the left'of Fig. 1. i I

Fig. 4.- shows the invention in side elevation.

Fig. 5 is an end view looking from the right of" Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail, showing one end of the shaft 20.

The machine is of a long, trough-like appearance, and includes near one of its ends a hopper 6, and is fitted with downwardly sloping floor pieces 9 and I0, with a central bottom board II. In line with the hopper 6 is a receptacle or chute l2, having similar sloping floors I3 and I4, extending from the partition 8 to an open end of the machine just above a cross-piece I5, uniting a pair of corner-posts I6, which are connected with a pair of similar posts I! by side-boards I8, attached thereto. The posts I! are of greater length than the posts I 6, as clearly shown in Fig.

4, by which 'Ineahsthe hopper and chute'c ompartments are given a considerable incline" to-' ward the open end of the machine. In the chute compartment' the adjacent edge g are spaced from each other to accommodate a pair of parallel shafts I9 and 20, each of which is provided within the chute l2 with a covering 2| of grippingmaterial', such as semi-soft rubber or the like. Said shafts extending for the length of the machine, are 'sup-' ported for rotation' at their ends, the'sh'aft 19 in a bearing 22"at its upper end, on an arm 23 fixed to'the end-piece], and at its lower-end in a bearing 24 on rm ifixedto thecross-piec'e" the shafts l9 and 20 'are'preferably constructed in: the manner shown in' Fig. 6, plugs 20a being driven into the ends of bothof said shafts, with central openings to receive reduction shaftsor pins 2012, which" smaller shafts are journalledinj the'i'esp'e'ctiv'e'bearings. 3 The arm 29 is connected by a coiled spring 30 with a post -"3I,. serving to assist'in I8. The other end of the shaft 28'is held'in' af similar yieldable position by a coiled spring'q32 connecting the arm 21 with the end piece 1. Sal spring is formed into a rod extensional-passing through anfleye 35 'on'the iece-1, and threaded on its end to receive a nut 36 By turning said nut the tension of the spring 32 can bead'justed: Projecting fromgthe hopper endofthe ma-" chin'eis a=shelf"38; supported by arms 39, uponwhich shelf is-mounted an electricgmotorlll, onthe shaft of which is a pinion 42, connected by a 'belt' 43 'with'a sheave 44 crime upperf'end offth shaft I9." Upon the motor being operatew I the'sh'aft I9 is caused to revolve inwardly and",

downwardly," the frictionbetween said shaft an the shaft 20 in the chute I2 causing-thelatter shaft to rotate in the opposite direction. I

Centrally of the partition 8 is an opening 45,

A quantity of fruit, such as oranges, with the wrappers on, is dumped into the hopper l6 with the gate 46 closed, which gate is then opened,

permitting the movement of the fruit intothe' chute part of the machine. This movement may be assistedmanually, and after passing through holding the shaft- 20 yieldably in closeproximity to the'shaft the opening the fruit continues on a downward rolling movement, assisted by the force of gravity, with a tendency of the fruit to work toward the center of the trough, and over the rollers. At thispoint the wrappers are drawn between the rolls, leaving the fruit entirely clean by the time it reaches the point of discharge at the open end of the chute. In case of a tendency of the fruitto move downwardly too rapidly the floors [3 and I4 maybe fitted with retarding elementsfconsisting of laterally disposed slats 48, of approximately one-half inch in thickness, with which the rolling balls of fruit come in contact, directing them toward the center.

A greater eiliciency in operation is shown by wrapping the outer covering of the rollsin. spiral fashion the edges of the several winds of wrapping material tending to retard :the downward movement of the fruit, the various units of which are also spun about by the rotation of therolls, until some portion of thefruitwrapper becomes caught in the rolls, and propelled downwardly therethrough.

,In using the machine-with dry vegetables, such as onions/the outer husks are drawn downward hr between the rollers as in the case of the wrappers, andthe accumulation ofsuch husks, or of the paper wrappers,- can be removed from-below themachine. If desired,suitable'receptaclescan be placed-beneaththe machine, to catch the'rubbish passing downwardly between the rolls.

It issometimes vdesired to give a greater or less-samount of incline to the machine, and this can be done by means of extension legs 49 slidable vertically in channels in'the outer faces of-theposts I'Land held fromrelease by metal strapsil, attached-to theposts. A lever 52 is pivotedto the frame as at c, cneend of which-is connected with-the leg:49by means of a slot-54 in the endof the lever, engaging apin 55111-131112 leg. At its outer end theleverisprovided with a handle 56, vat one point on which isa detent bladeil, for engagement with the corrugations in-a plate 58 on-thearmiQ. -By lifting on the handle 56' the leg 49 is extended downwardly, elevating the post 11, and held in-adjusted position by engagement-of the detent with one of the corrugations. This lever arrangement is duplicated at the-other side of the machine, so thatthe posts I! can be raised or loweredto gether. v

For operation, one of the machines can be placed conveniently to the fruit receiving department of a-store, and-by itsuse a considerable number of boxes of fruit can be relieved of their wrappers in" ashort space of time,--and with the help of a single attendant, whose duties will be devoted chiefly to dumping theboxesof fruit intothe-hopper and removing the refilled boxes at the fruit receiving end of-the machine, This end is of suflicient-height, to enable one of the emptyboxes tobe placed cross-waysat the end, to be filled again with the fruit as it: rolls from the'machine.

own volition.

What I claim and desire to secure is:

1. A fruit wrapper husking machine, embodyinga frame, a chute supported therein in an inclined position, and provided in its bottom with alongitudinal opening, a pair of closely spaced parallel rolls supported in said opening, means forrotatin'gthe rolls in opposite directions with the upper portions moving toward each other,

one or said rolls having means permitting a yieldablemovement thereof with relation to the other roll; to discharge wrappers between the rolls, and spirally disposed rubber wrappings on said rolls extending in a direction to retard the movement ofwrapped oranges and the like being fed down the chute, andgive a spinning movement thereto, and remove the wrappers from said fruit.

2. A fruit wrapper husking machine, embodyingI-a frame, a chute supported therein in an inclined position, and provided in its bottom with a longitudinal opening, a pair of closely spaced parallel -rolls supported in said opening, means forrrotating the rolls .in opposite directions with the upper portions moving toward each other, to discharge wrappers between the rolls, and spirallydisposed rubber "wrappings on said rolls extending in a direction to retard the movement of wrapped oranges and the like being fed down the-chute, and give "a spinning movement thereto, andremovethe Wrappers from said fruit.

-3. -A fruit wrapper husking machine, comprising a suitable frame, an inclined box supported by-sai'd frame, a hopper in the upper end of said box adapted-to receive the fruit contents of a container oi -given capacity at one time, atroughshapedchute in the other end of said box-provided in its bottom with a longitudinal opening, and communicatingwith: said hopper through a-throat restricting the flow 'of fruit into said chute by force a of gravity, with the fruit returnable by' gravity into the original container atthe lower end of the chute, a. pair of closely spaced parallel rolls supported in said longitudinal opening, means for rotating said rolls in opposite directions with the upper portions moving toward eachother, one of-said rolls having means permitting .a yieldable movementthereof with relation to the other rollyto discharge wrappers between the rolls, and spirally disposedrubber wrappings on said rolls extending in a direction to-re'tard the-movement of wrappedoranges and the like being fed down the chute, and give a spinning -movement thereto, and remove the wrappers from the fruit.

JAMES BRYANT CRAWFORD. 

